How to Bathe a Dog Sprayed by a Skunk

Molly, a Border Collie living on a small farm, is used to protecting her turf from the various wild critters that inhabit her rural neighborhood. She barks and hassles the wildlife that venture too close to her yard, and usually, they leave--or suffer her wrath! But Molly's owner also owns several partially feral cats that she feeds outside in one of the sheds. Eventually, a skunk discovers the cache of cat food available to any enterprising wildlife that dares to enter Molly's territory. A recipe for disaster! The skunk is not scared of Molly, he has a secret weapon: sulfurous compounds that he can shoot 15 feet from his anal glands. Molly is about to find out all about it!  

If you live in a rural area, or even if you don’t, your dog is liable to come into contact with a skunk sooner or later, and your dog will probably react in very dog-like fashion, by barking and threatening the strange critter that has come across her path, resulting in your dog getting sprayed by the skunk, and chaos ensuing.

• Avoid skunk spray if possible! Do not leave pet food out where it can attract skunks, keep your dog contained, especially at sundown or dusk when skunks are most active. Put trash and compost away in skunk-proof containers.

• Decontaminate eyes as soon as possible by rinsing with water or appropriate eye wash.

• Keep your dog outside during the bathing process, if possible.

• Mix home remedies as needed. Don't store a baking soda mixture, it will explode.

• Eyes and skin can be irritated by skunk spray or by a neutralizer used, use caution.

• Keep vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, as well as commercial neutralizer, out of your dog's eyes.

• Consider having commercial neutralizer available in case you need it, or the ingredients for a homemade neutralizer.